A veteran solon said senators who may be detained over cases linked to the flood control projects controversy could seek court permission to physically attend Senate proceedings, instead of joining plenary sessions or the impeachment trial online.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson made the statement Friday as the Senate majority bloc pushed to allow remote participation by senators for “justifiable reasons.”
In an interview, the legislator said the Senate should discuss possible remedies to ensure that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte can proceed even if some senators are placed under detention.
“Dapat pag-usapan namin kung ano ang remedy para matuloy ang impeachment trial,” he said.
He said detained senators may ask the court for leave to attend proceedings, with escorts bringing them to the Senate if the request is granted.
“Kapag may nakakulong, kumuha ng leave of court para hindi yung online. Kung payagan ng korte, eskortan sila sa Senado kung may authority or court order para mag-participate sila as senator-judges. So, di pa rin pwedeng online,” he noted.
Lacson said this would allow them to perform their duties as senator-judges without resorting to virtual participation.
He also rejected claims that voters would be disenfranchised if remote participation is not adopted, saying Senate rules already allow virtual attendance in cases of force majeure or national emergency.
He stressed that the case of former senator and now party-list Rep. Leila de Lima was different from that of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
He noted that De Lima was detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, within the jurisdiction of the court. Even then, he said, her participation in Senate proceedings was not automatic and required court approval.
“Hindi automatic na kapag, halimbawa, na-adopt namin yung resolution na ’yun, automatic pwede kaagad mag-participate. Hihingi pa ng permiso sa court kasi ang legal custodian ni Sen. Leila noon ay yung korte, yung RTC,” the solon said.
He added that permission from the physical custodian, in that case the PNP, was also needed.
Lacson said the proposed Senate rules amendment being pushed by the majority appeared intended to benefit Dela Rosa.
“Parang ‘Bato’ amendment nga ito,” he said, arguing that the majority knew Dela Rosa could not attend proceedings in person.
He said allowing Dela Rosa to participate online could even help law enforcement authorities locate him if he uses a mobile phone or laptop.
“Kung gusto talaga nilang mag-participate si Bato, ang mapapaboran niyan ay ang law enforcement. Kasi mat-track siya kapag gumamit siya ng kanyang cellphone o kaya kanyang laptop,” he said.
Lacson also defended the minority bloc’s walkout from Tuesday’s plenary session, rejecting claims that they “scampered” out of the chamber.
“The minority scampered out of the session hall? No, Mr. Senate President, we quietly walked out because you scampered out of our rules and wanted to divide the house while we are still debating,” he said in a post on X.
In the radio interview, Lacson said the minority left because the majority was trying to rush the amendment.
“Nag-scamper daw kami. Ang pangit pakinggan, para kaming bahag ang buntot lumabas ng plenaryo. Sila nag-scamper from the rules, gusto nilang madaliin,” he said.
Lacson stressed that the minority is not opposed to amending Senate rules, but said the process must follow proper procedure.
“We can amend our rules, but we must follow the procedure. They wanted to amend the rules fastbreak-style. And we have a committee system. Congress cannot function without the committees,” he said.